Author: Junot DiazPublication Date: 2007
Category: fiction
Who'll want to read it? I'm not really sure. It's a pretty crazy ride.
Point of no return: I loved the first line: "They say it came first from Africa, carried in the screams of the enslaved; that it was the death bane of the Tainos, uttered just as one world perished and another began; that it was a demon drawn into Creation through the nightmare door that was cracked open in the Antilles." I then really struggled through the first chapter, but persisted, mainly because the book had been recommended. It picks up again in chapter two.
What's it all about? For me, it was more about the females of Oscar's family. Oscar is an incredibly overweight Dominican in New Jersey, whose life revolves around all things science fiction and fantasy (including role playing games and manga films), and the unrequited love he has for every random girl he sees. There is a fuku on the family, from a previous generation - a curse that is so powerful, it is passed down to each member of the family in a different way. His sister Lola, and his mother Belicia are stronger characters than Oscar himself, and I found their tales much more interesting.
Publisher: Riverhead Books
3 comments:
I loved this book too! And this might sound like a silly comment, but it took me months to realise that the red blob on the front cover is actually in the shape of a boys head.
Well, I didn't notice until you pointed it out. So, perhaps not such a silly comment after all! :)
I'm sorry but i have to disagree, this was one of the worst books i have read. I agree the female characters were more appealing but Oscar is a dud!!!!
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